UNESCO has named the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020. Rio will be the first city to receive the title under a programme launched together by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects in November 2018.

British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a crushing defeat in the Parliament on January 15 when over 100 lawmakers of May's Conservative party - both Brexiteers and Remainers, voted against the Brexit deal. This is the biggest-ever defeat suffered by a British premier in modern history.

Sushma Swaraj reiterated India’s support and commitment to peace, security and stability of Afghanistan to promote inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process.

India and Norway released a Joint Statement after extensive talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Norwegian PM Erna Solberg, during the latter’s official state visit to India from January 7-9, 2019.

India started interacting with Iran on Chabahar Port around the year 2003; however, the major push was received in the second half of 2014, leading to the signing of an MoU between Iran and India for the development of Chabahar Port in May 2015.

Kevin Sweeney, the chief of staff of the US Department of Defence, has announced his resignation from the post. The move comes a month after the Defence Secretary James Mattis announced his departure in December 2018.

These five countries will hold a two-year term in the Council with effect from January 1, 2019. This will be the Dominican Republic’s first time on the Security Council. The other four countries have previously served on the body.

The United States and its ally Israel officially withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the close of the year 2018. The two nations had announced their intention to quit the international organisation in October 2017, accusing it of anti-Israel bias.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured her third consecutive term and fourth overall with a landslide victory in the nation’s general elections. This is an unprecedented feat in the country’s political history as no other leader in Bangladesh has been able to win a third consecutive term.

The United Arab Emirates has resumed its diplomatic services at its embassy in Damascus in Syria after six years of suspension. The move signals a thaw in the relations between the two countries, as also with the Arab world.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki has declared that Palestine would initiate an application to gain full state membership at the United Nations in January 2019. To secure full state membership, the Palestinians would require the support from at least nine out of the UNSC's 15 member states.

Japan has announced its decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and said that it will resume commercial whaling from July 2019. The commercial whaling will be limited to Japan's territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

Patrick Shanahan will be taking over as the acting US Defence Secretary from January 1, 2019, replacing James Mattis, who announced his resignation recently. The announcement was made by US President Donald Trump through a tweet.

The Program for Japan-India Cooperative Actions towards Sustainable Development Goals in India aims to contribute to promotion of SDGs in India especially in social development by supporting the efforts by the Union Government to strengthen policy framework.

Jim Mattis, the Defence Secretary of the United States abruptly announced his resignation on December 20, 2018, citing policy differences with President Donald Trump as the main reason behind the move. Mattis would be retiring at the end of February 2019.

The International Migrants Day was observed on December 18, 2018 with the theme ‘Migration with Dignity’. Treating every migrant with dignity is one of the fundamental requirements today. The total number of international migrants increased from an estimated 175 million in 2000 to 244 million persons in 2015.

A majority of UN member states have voted in favour of the Global Compact on Refugees. The agreement aims to guide the international community in supporting refugees and countries and communities hosting large numbers through the mobilisation of political will.

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